U.K. new car registrations plunged 97 percent in April to a level not seen since February 1946, after the government closed auto dealerships and other businesses to slow the spread of the coronavirus.

About 4,000 cars were sold during the month, the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders said yesterday based on preliminary numbers — mostly through fleet orders.

The industry body now expects sales to fall 27 percent for the entire year, to 1.68 million vehicles.

Restrictions on public life kept the United Kingdom and other European countries on lockdown for much of April. With some nations starting to ease their rules, carmakers are now gradually reopening plants and dealerships.

Metzler analyst Juergen Pieper expects European sales to drop by about a third, given the weak economy and widespread social restrictions, and doesn’t expect a sustainable recovery in demand and production before 2021.

Meanwhile, small British manufacturers expect the biggest fall in output in more than 30 years over the next three months as the hit from the coronavirus intensifies, according to a survey by the Confederation of British Industry. It said smaller manufacturers had already suffered the largest drop in output and the biggest quarterly loss in jobs since the financial crisis during the three months to April. (SD-Agencies)